


Cute and Charming

by WhiteRose_Is_My_Life



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 18:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20764847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteRose_Is_My_Life/pseuds/WhiteRose_Is_My_Life
Summary: Edelgard von Hresvelg is an incredibly stressed college student at Garreg Mach university. Claude von Riegan works at his parent's club just outside of said university, and an incredibly stressed college student has just caught his eye. Maybe he'll offer her a drink.





	Cute and Charming

**Author's Note:**

> my twitter is @wrcassnessa  
this is half self care and half a gift for @phyleth on twitter love u girlie

To say that Edelgard von Hresvelg was tired would have been the understatement of the century. To then say that she was stressed would have immediately outclassed the previous statement. Being a third year at Garreg Mach Academy was truly no joke, what with the constant work and absolutely inane class schedules- Edelgard was so happy Hubert spent most nights at his girlfriend’s place, because she would feel bad constantly walking into their dorm at the worst times of night. 

Hubert having a girlfriend wasn’t something she was jealous of, truly. She and Hubert had grown up together, practically siblings in many rights, and she was genuinely happy to see him finding his own. Edelgard really had been and was still happy for him, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she wished  _ she  _ had someone like that, too. The thoughts left her lonely, and what does one do when they’re tired, stressed, and lonely? 

Go to a club, of course. 

Shining Antlers was a club just off campus grounds, clearly built to capitalize off the stressed college student market. And goddess, did it capitalize. Nearly filled to the brim almost every night, Shining Antlers had made a name for itself among the student body by having good drinks, an exceptional wait staff, and music just loud enough to jam to while still being able to converse. 

Edelgard walked in to find it exactly the way she’d expected it to be. Dancing wasn’t really her thing- not in front of strangers, anyway- so she made her way straight to the bar. As soon as she’d sat down, a cold glass of dark purple liquid was sat in front of her on a coaster. She looked to the bartender in surprise and she went to respond to him but her breath hitched in her throat when she saw his face. 

He was taller than her, strong arms leading under a Shining Antlers polo, but with the fact that it hadn’t been buttoned up at all, she didn’t have to imagine much about how toned his chest was. She focused up to his face but it hadn’t helped much, what with the fact that his hair was just messy enough that he could get away with it, leading down into a small beard that stopped just before his chin, well trimmed and more attractive than she’d like to admit. 

And then his smile, goddess, his smile. Maybe Edelgard was just tired, but she was sure that his smile could outshine the sun. It was bright and wide and exceedingly...fake. It was a professional smile that he probably wore for all the customers that sat at the bar. Edelgard was no stranger to fake smiles, which was perhaps why she was able to recognize it so well. 

Wordlessly, she took a sip of the drink in front of her, and then looked to him with interest.

“How’d you know what my favorite drink was?” She asked, and he preened with pride. His smile was attemptively disarming, but Edelgard hadn’t let her guard down in her entire life.

“Lucky guess,” He said, somehow looking cockier than he had before. His voice matched the rest of him, she noted, but decided to not dwell too much on that fact. 

“Do you usually hand out free drinks? That seems like bad business practice.” That caused him to laugh.    
  
“Look around you. Does this place really seem like it can’t afford one free drink?” He had a point. 

“If you’re offering me a free drink, I’m more than sure I’m not the only one.”    
  
“You wound me, princess,” The use of a pet name caused her to flush lightly. “I  _ only  _ have eyes for you.” He kept a straight face for several seconds and then chuckled, and then half-laughed, before devolving into a full-belly laugh. 

“You crack yourself up.” Her tone was neutral. She knew better than to hint either way, even if she was enjoying their conversation. 

“Sorry, sorry, I just can’t keep a straight face in the face of your straight face.” 

“That was certainly a way to word that.” 

“I am a man of many words and many talents,” He raised a mock hand to his chest. “It’s a burden few can bear, but I find the strength within myself.” 

She chuckled despite herself, and his face lit up like a christmas tree. “So you can smile!” He said, and she met his eyes as she took another drink. 

“Of course. Can’t everyone?” 

“When you walked in here, you looked about five minutes from the grave. I noticed you coming over and promised myself I’d make you smile.” He explained, and a light blush dusted her cheeks. He was flirting, obviously, but it sounded way too sincere for him to just be messing around. 

“Thanks,” She muttered, mostly hiding her face with the drink. She had never really been good at dealing with genuine niceties, and she figured he’d move to the next customer soon anyhow. 

“What’s your name?” He asked, leaning forward on the bar. He wasn’t anywhere near her personal space but something about him acting so casually was slightly more inviting. She gave a small sigh.    
  
“Edelgard.”    
  
“Edelgard...” He drew out the last letter, clearly intending for her to continue.    
  
“Edelgard von Hresvelg.” She supplied, and he smiled.    
  
“Edelgard von Hresvelg,” The bartender repeated her name as if testing it out. “I like it.” He stuck out his hand. 

“I’m Claude von Riegan, at your service.” She took his hand and shook it tight, just as her father taught her so many years back. A good handshake meant a good impression, he had said. It was a lesson she’d never forgotten. 

“And at my service alone, it seems.” He hadn’t spoken to any of the other customers despite the place being relatively packed. It wasn’t like there was no one taking care of them, three women were shuffling behind the bar as he had been speaking to her. 

“What can I say? I’m interested in you, Ms. Hresvelg.” There was his smile again, the one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The one that reminded her of herself. 

“You don’t need to be facetious with me, Mr. Riegan.” He looked surprised at first, but gentle understanding passed on his face quickly enough. “Very few are interested in me, and I don’t quite believe that the charming bartender I’ve just met is one of them.” 

“You think I’m charming?” 

“I think that was deflecting.” He regarded her with his inquisitive eyes. Several beats of silence passed between them as she took an exaggerated sip but never broke eye contact. 

“You know, Ms. Hresvelg,” He said, smiling. “I’d prefer you call me Claude.” 

“Only if you call me Edelgard.” 

“I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Edelgard.” 

“I don’t come here often enough for this to be any kind of friendship.” She countered, but his look hadn’t faltered at all. He took out his phone, pressed a couple buttons, and handed it over to her. It was open on the contacts page, with “cute enigma” as the contact name. 

“Put in your number. That way I know when to look out for you.” Edelgard suddenly felt very embarrassed. 

“What if I don’t...remember my personal number?” She asked, as sheepish as Edelgard could be. He laughed for several seconds but after noticing how serious her face looked, he stopped dead in his tracks.    
  
“You’re not kidding.” He said, but it was phrased more as a question. 

“I mainly use my work phone, but it’s a landline so I can’t quite…” She trailed off, more than sure he’d gotten the gist. It was unlike her to be embarrassed in front of a stranger, but she genuinely didn’t use her cell much because it was less necessary than her office number. 

Lost in her own thoughts, it took her several seconds to notice that he’d slid a small piece of paper across the table. She looked up at him and quirked her brow.    
  
“My number.” He explained, turning to grab a rack of glasses to presumably wash in the back. Just before moving away, he spoke again. “I’ll see you around, Edelgard.” A wink ended their conversation, and he walked away. Edelgard found herself vaguely sad to see him go.    
She ended up saving his number under “charming bartender” after their conversation.    
  
Perhaps he had been right. Maybe, just maybe, it was the start of a beautiful friendship. 


End file.
